Denver Nuggets

Kenyon Martin savagely threatened ballboy’s life and tried to hunt down J.R. Smith after being pranked on Nuggets

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

One of the major benefits of modern day entertainment is that a huge number of former athletes have been able to create platforms for themselves with podcasts, YouTube channels and more.

One such platform is the “Knuckleheads” podcast that is hosted by former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles.

In every episode, Miles and Richardson discuss the recent ongoings of the NBA and other sports leagues. They also often bring on former NBA ballers and have them talk about some of the experiences that they had during their time in the league.

One recent episode saw former NBA big man Kenyon Martin join the show, and he offered a slew of fascinating stories from his 15-year career.

One story had to do with an interaction he had with a ballboy after former teammate J.R. Smith forced him to prank him.

“The ballboy that did it,” he said when looking back at a prank that Smith orchestrated during their time with the Denver Nuggets. “I told him straight up, ‘I better not see him around the Pepsi Center.’ And I told him straight up, ‘If you see me anywhere in Denver, you need to go the other way.’ I threatened him, threatened his life, man.”

Earlier in the podcast, Martin explained how the prank, which involved his car at the time, caused a major rift between him and Smith. He claimed that after he fell victim to the prank, he was desperately trying to find out Smith’s new address while multiple people within the organization called him begging him to stop the search.

Ultimately, Martin was not able to locate Smith, and he seems grateful for that fact.

“I was going to do something bad to J.R., though,” he said. “… It would have been bad had I got his address. That night? It would have been an NBA incident for the ages.”

On top of that, he said that the Nuggets made sure his car was returned to its previous state and took the costs out of Smith’s paycheck.

It’s moments like this that NBA fans should feel grateful for shows like the “Knuckleheads” pod. Without it, this story would have likely never been told for fans to hear.

Jonathan Sherman

Jonathan has worked as a sports writer covering NBA and NFL news since 2017. He's a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Vikings.

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

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